100 Drabbles
by Elaine Kaelar
Summary: Following the latest trend in Marching Band FanFiction!
1. 1 Introductions

_A/n- Hello all, this is my beginning of writing again. It's been a long time, so to get moving again I thought I'd follow the latest trend of Drabbling. The characters and events are all mine, and marching band... we all know how it is. _

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1. Introduction

She stood there with her ears ringing; most everyone was filing out of the hall that was as big as her high school's gym. Her fellow pit members had left. She stood there for a few moments holding her cymbal bag, watching the drum line scurry to put things away. She looked around and noticed that a tall, red headed boy was still putting his snare away. She went approached him, and he took out his pale blue ear plugs.

"Um, sorry, do you know where the cymbals go? Everyone just took off, and I don't know where things go yet." The boy looked around, and said, "Q is supposed to be in charge of the cymbals, but it looks like he left. They go in the equipment room, I'll show you. My name is Matt, by the way. I'm center snare." He stuck out his hand while picking up his stand and his drum. She took it, and returned "Maddie. Nice to meet you." He grinned and said "Matt, Maddie, I can remember that." He turned, and she followed him into the equipment room.

* * *

_This whole 100 word thing is gonna be harder than I thought. But I'm out of practice, so I'll use that as an excuse. )_


	2. 2 Colors

_A/n- This one is kind of weird, I know. But it's the first thing I thought of when I saw color. _

2. Colors

"Hey, are you ok? You look a bit… off-colored today." He raised his head and smiled, but it was a wane smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Now what do you mean by that? I'm not green, am I?" he asked. "No…" she hesitated. "But you are pale." He looked at her. His golden skin was as dark as ever, contrasting his black hair and eyes. She tried again. "I see people in colors… when you think of someone, whatever color comes to the back of your eyes. And yours are pale." "It's been a rough week," he said, not really knowing if she was joking. "Day of Percussion is soon, and I'm sick, and I have a crap-ton of work for stupid GE classes." He paused. "Thanks for noticing. What color am I normally?" She considered him a moment. "Black. Black and crimson." He smiled. "I like that."

* * *

_And yeah, they aren't going to be in order. :)_


	3. 3 Midnight

_A/n- This is one of my favorites. :) _

3. Midnight

She woke up as the bus came to a halt. She raised her head from the shoulder of her bus buddy to look up at his face; he was groggily rubbing his eyes. He pulled the blanket back up over the both of them. She tried to look out the window, but the ice was too thick. She could only see lights and colors through the swirly pattern made by the ice crystals. She looked back at her seat partner.

"I think we stopped to celebrate New Years now. Um, did you want to get out and see what everyone else is doing?" He rolled his eyes that were only half open. "We are somewhere out in the middle of Nevada at a gas station. It's freezing outside. I'm not getting up, and neither are you." She smiled, content to lean back on his shoulder and go back to sleep.


	4. 4 Gunshots

_A/n- Tee hee. I hope the fact that she's wearing underwear doesn't mess with the rating... ;)_

4. Gunshot

CRACK, CRACK, THUMPTHUMP, THUMPTHUMP…. The sounds of a battery warming up shattered the morning air like gunshots. She sat bolt upright in bed, exclaiming "I hear drums!" and shot out of bed and across the hotel room, still in her underwear, to see were the drummers were. Through the curtain, she could see buses and trailers lining the streets next to the junior college. Distant figures in bibs carrying shiny objects twinkled back at her.

"Maddie, what's wrong with you? It's 8 in the morning." Her friend was trying to pull the flung covers back onto the bed.

"Laura, _come __**on!**_ They're warming up! Let's go watch!"


	5. 5 My Inspiration

_A/n- This is another wierdish one. I like it, but it's kinda one of those you had to be there things._

* * *

5. My Inspiration

"Hey Tyler, are you busy right now? I have something to give you." He answered back into the phone, "Is it the coronet? I think I need to return it to the school soon. I'll be right down." She took not only the coronet, but the huge ceramic statue of a trumpet; her pride of the semester's art class. She walked carefully down the stairs and across the courtyard to where he was waiting outside his dorm building.

"Maddie, I can't take that," he said when he saw what she had brought. "You put too much into it." She sighed.

"You're right, I did, I put too much of the inspirer into it. I can't take it with me. It has to go to you." He started to protest again, saying that he had just been the model. "Sometimes," she said, "there is too much of something in one's own art for the person to bear. So they have to look for someone else."


	6. 6 Breaking Away

_A/n- I still get shivers when I think about this too much..._

* * *

6. Breaking Away

She waved as her family drove off, and then bounded up the stairs to see her room. She slid the keycard home and looked at the cell-like room that was to be hers for the next 10 months. It didn't look like a whole lot… a ten foot cube, with matching bunk-desks and empty closets. A mini fridge stood blocked by the mounds of _stuff_ she had brought that was waiting to find a home. Home.

For a single moment, fear and anxiety threatened to overwhelm her into hysteria. She closed her eyes and sat down, quelling the feeling for the first and only time it would ever come over her her freshman year of college. She checked her clock. It read a little after 3. She had about an hour and a half before it was time to go to Band Camp Orientation. She smiled. This was what she had been dreaming of.


	7. 7 Exploration

_A/n- This is a continuation of the last one, in case anyone was wondering. :)_

* * *

Exploration

She checked the clock again. 4:45. She grabbed her keycard and trotted down the hall stairs. She stopped as the wall of heat broke over her. Band camp was going to be interesting… Shaking her head, she started off in the general direction of the music building. She made her way around a parking lot until she came to a mounted campus map. She altered her course to take her around to the right side of the building.

A little exploring wouldn't hurt, and she still had some time before orientation officially began. A boy she vaguely remembered from Dog Days came up to her, and started chattering away. She was only half paying attention, focused on getting into the building. They finally found the right door. She stared into the building, shocked by the number of _people._


	8. 8 Seeing Red

_A/n- Is anyone else getting rediculously stoked for the arrival of football, I mean, Marching Season? :D_

* * *

8. Seeing Red

Red. The Red Mile, followed by the Red Wave. She clutched the cymbals to her aching wrists as a river of people dressed in red passed by the front of the block, down the ramp and into the stadium. As she looked past the gates down to the actual field, her jaw dropped. She couldn't see the field for the red-clothed football players cavorting around throwing footballs, and what little she did was covered in a painted red Bulldog.

A voice came over the long ranger. They were going in. She lined up next to her friend Laura as the snares started the cadence that they only knew the first three bars of, and the nearly 300 person block started moving down the block. As they went down, she gasped through her sizz-chucks. There were 42,000 people in the stadium. And they were all wearing red.


	9. 9 Obsession

_A/n- :shakes head: I have nothing to say. _

* * *

9. Obsession

She had her camera out, ready to capture everything that happened. The evening was turning out to be perfect; it was no longer so hot, and the mountains surrounding Pasadena were visible behind the stadium. Corps came and went. As her favorites were about to come on, she groaned quietly. Her friend looked over at her questioningly.

"I don't know how you can just sit still and watch them. Don't you just want to be _part_ of them?" she asked. Laura replied, "No, I don't. That's the difference between you and me, Maddie. I'm perfectly happy sitting here watching, but you are staring at them _hungrily._ You're obsessed." She calmly turned back to the field, while her friend looked at the next corps with aching longing.


	10. 10 Lesson

_A/n- I was asked if my drabbles concerned the same girl. They do. The main 'She' is reffering to the main character, a girl named Maddie. The other characters will be differentiated in the text. Thanks to everyone who's given feedback! I do love reviews, and will answer most questions. If I don't, then that means it will probably be explained later on, and I don't want to spoil it. :)_

* * *

10. Lesson

She followed him up the stairs to the little used room that held a lime green monster of a drum set. He looked at her pointedly, and she meekly sat down on the throne in front of it.

"This is for you to play, not me," he reminded her. "Ok, so I'm going to show you basic rock and jazz beats, just so you get the swing of things. Rock beats are usually easier, so we'll start with that." He was busy scribbling something on a sheet of paper. She looked at it as he handed it to her; it had the foot and hand combinations. She started out slowly, timidly keeping time on the cymbal with eight notes and moving her feet.

"Stop," he commanded. "You need to be the one in control, not the drum. You can't be scared of the noise." He pulled out a gigantic china and put it in front of her. "Hit it." She looked at him, petrified. "Hit it," he insisted. She took a deep breath and brought the stick crashing down on it. "Much better," he said, smiling as the shimmering noise rebounded in the small room.

"Thanks, Matt."


	11. 11 Irregular Orbit

_A/n- I know this has nothing directly to do with 'Irregular Orbit', but it seemed to fit in my mind. :)_

* * *

11. Irregular Orbit

She left the studio, walking through the connected buildings, when she heard the unmistakable sound of drumsticks coming through the open back door the band room. She stopped in front of it to see him crouched by the side of the piano, bouncing a snare stick on his ear at a ridiculous speed. She stopped, and started laughing as he looked at her over the piano and dropped his stick. She cocked an eyebrow at her captain.

"On the piano?"

"It's only the rehearsal piano for Jazz band," he said, shrugging. "I can bounce it off my nose and tongue too," he said. She cracked up again as outside the rain started to fall.


	12. 12 Shades of Grey

_A/n- My tribute to the 1000+ wildfires burning in Northern California. I love having air I have to chew before I can breathe. :P _

_And I know this one isn't musically related, but in case anyone was wondering, it's Maddie and Laura again. ;)_

* * *

12. Shades of Grey

The smoke lay thick and grey on the horizon, smudging the sun to a dull red. The two girls dodged through the misters to sit in the corner outside. The young waiter came up flourishing a pair of menus while grinding pepper into the saucer of olive oil. He started rattling off various hors d'oeuvres while they flipped to the back of the menus, shaking their heads at all of his suggestions. Satisfied what they were looking for was not in the menu, one of them looked up as he stopped offering ideas.

"We're actually just here for dessert." The waiter understood.

"I'll just go get the dessert menus then, shall I?" he said meaningfully, leaving the girls in fits of giggles, bringing brightness to the dull grey atmosphere.


	13. 13 Heart Song

_A/n- Mmmm. In 'N Out. :D_

_And that is one of my favorite songs; does anyone else play a version of it for a pep tune?_

* * *

13. Heart Song

She stood at the end of the performance, and after clapping went down to where he was putting his kit away. She finished helping load, and they went outside.

"Shotgun!" she yelled. Her captain looked at her.

"That's the only place you can sit anyway," he nodded to the drum set that was all but spilling out the back. She got in as his friends yelled to go to In N' Out. He handed the iPod over to her, and she scrolled through the music, she found what she was looking for. At the first sound of the guitar rifts, his face cleared, relaxed and he sped up to take the turns with the music.

"I don't need to fall at your feet…" she began to sing along softly, before he came in with his light tenor. "I'll get over you, I know I will, I'll pretend my ship's not sinking. And I'll tell myself, I'm over you, 'cause I'm the King of Wishful thinking…" They kept singing together until they pulled into the parking lot.


	14. 14 Umbrella

_A/n- I would actually love some rain right now... :P_

* * *

14. Umbrella

"I hate the rain." The water poured out of the skies to the flooded sidewalks. As they walked out of their communications class, she pulled out a light blue pocket umbrella and opened it.

"Me too," he agreed as they trudged through the puddles back in the general direction of the music building. They avoided the major ponds that were building, until they got to the benches where they normally sat and talked until the bell signaled he was late to history.

"Uh, I guess I'll see you in band…" he trailed off, making a vague gesture at the weather.

"Yeah, I'll see you later," she said, turning around. _I HATE the rain…_


	15. 15 Nowhere and Nothing

_A/n- RATING CHANGE ALERT!! Yes, the pun included does drop the f-bomb, so just to be safe, this one is rated M. Just so no one gets their panties in a twist. :) BTW, this one happens to be exactly 100 words. :D _

* * *

15. Nowhere and Nothing

"Where are we?"

"Does anyone know what's going on?"

"Where's Tim or Chris?" The bus had erupted into the groggy chatter of people who had been mostly asleep being abruptly woken. Hands wiped off the ice to see the snow swirling outside.

"There is NOTHING outside…"

"I can't see any lights!" Some ingenious soul brought out the itinerary.

"Supposing our clocks are all right, we are in Winnamuca, Nevada." People started to protest.

"This is where we're staying? This is NOWHERE!"

"Winnamuca, What-the-Fucka? What're we supposed to do?" Everyone laughed. There were always things to do, with the marching band.


	16. 16 Everyday Magic

_A/n- Another 100 words even!! :D_

* * *

16. Everyday Magic

She walked out the door, and then stopped. She had been practicing for hours; her mouth and arms were sore. Her back hurt from bending over the marimba, and she had left her chap-stick at her house, leaving nothing to soothe her brass-chapped lips. It had been a long, hard day, and as usual, was over 100 degrees. Or, it had been. By now the sun was going down in a riot of color, the air had cooled, and the smell of freshly cut grass blew gently over her. It was beautiful. Her discomfort evaporated. She couldn't wait for band camp.


	17. 17 Pretense

_A/n- Well, I knew the 100 word thing wouldn't last... :sigh: _

* * *

17. Pretense

"Alright, does everyone understand how to crash a cymbal?" The section leader's question was met with a bunch of nods. "Alright then. Set'em up and let's go!" The rest of the section stood their cymbals up in a mock Vanguard-style arc, and in a single file line paraded past the battery.

"Don't they care that we're not even pretending to practice?" she whispered to one of the other members of her section. Some of the younger members of the battery were glaring at them, but the older ones just looked stoic.

"They get over it," he said, slinging an arm over her shoulder. "Besides, we are going to practice. Practice 7-11 Slurpee runs!" They both laughed, and ran to catch up with the rest of the group.


	18. 18 Only Human

_A/n- Why is it that when you get to college, keys become more important, but go missing more often?? :P_

_Anyhoo, this is a 3 part drabble, this being the first scene._

* * *

18. Only Human

"I can't believe he made us play on the very last day!" The other percussionists nodded emphatically. They pushed all the equipment back to the Percussion Studio, only to find the key box open and the key gone.

"Who is _practicing_?" One of them asked.

"Juries are over!" another added. They all stood in the hallway, waiting for someone to run the key back. Half hour later, there was still no sign of anyone returning the key, and someone suggested they call Dylan, the studio manager.

"Come on, guys, I'm halfway to Darling's for the party, and you guys lock yourselves out of the studio!" he moaned as they called him.

"Come on, D, we're waiting out here with all the stuff. And we're only human, keys get locked out."


	19. 19 Party

_A/n- Section luff. :) Part 2 of 3._

* * *

19. Party

The carpool ride to the party was fun. _Never let a bunch of drummers listen to Back Street Boys,_ she thought as they just missed a red light because Ryan, their driver, was singing at the top of his lungs.

When they arrived, she had to stifle a gasp. Dr Darling, the percussion studio director, was wearing swimming trunks and an old t-shirt; a far cry from the slacks and shirts they knew he lived in. He was already being challenged to an ultimate ping pong tournament by the Quetzals, and he and Deo were warming up.

She stood on the side of the ping pong table, helping Gary keep score while Cameron and Sam kept up a steady commentary. This was why she loved being a percussionist.


	20. 20 A Place to Belong

_A/n- Possibly the best feeling in the world, aside from performing..._

* * *

20. A Place to Belong

As the party came to a close, people started to help the Darlings clean up the little food remaining; the table was decimated as if by locus. As her carpool group was getting ready to head back for the college, Dr. Darling took her aside.

"I don't know if Dave has talked to you yet," he said, talking about the other percussion teacher. She shook her head. "But we both decided your performance exam was very good. You're a Percussion Major now." Her jaw dropped.

"I am?" she gasped. He nodded.

"We can work out the details and paperwork later. I think your ride wants to go," he said, nodding at Ryan and the rest. "Keep practicing," he said as she walked out the door. "And congratulations."


	21. 21 Dangerous Territory

_A/n- I noticed that I seem to be bagging a lot on Nevada... I appologize to anyone that is offended. :P But your fans are pretty out of whack. _

21. Dangerous Territory

She watched as out of nowhere, one of the passing Nevada fans started attacking the drum major who was standing by the ladder. The band was shocked for a split second, and then let loose an angry roar that only 250 angry band members can make. Luckily, Phil J, the drum major, was able to throw the crazed woman off as the security guards came running up.

As they took her away the band director shouted, "Ok, so they think they want to take our funky one, do they?" Phil J got back onto the ladder and started.

"One, two, Mother Ship DOWN!!" The blasting music could be heard all over Nevada.


	22. 22 Frost

_A/n- I HATE being cold, and frost, and snow, and... :S_

* * *

22. Frost

She couldn't feel her feet, and they had just stepped outside to wind their way through the vendors outside the stadium.

_This is not good._

Whoever was leading the parade block up ahead was taking them through a narrow path, covered in at least 2 inches of ice. She saw a snare up in front of her stagger, and then regain their footing to keep going on. Suddenly, she hit that same slick patch. The cymbal line was in the middle of their "broken sprinkler" visual, and the movement of the heavy plates threw her balance completely off. Before she knew what had happened, she was down on the ground, with Tom the instructor coming to help her up before there was a domino effect on the frosty path.


	23. 23 Shadows

_A/n- I always was a fan of first come, first served..._

* * *

23. Shadows

She grinned over the bass drums as the brass players shot the line dirty looks. The drummers had taken over the biggest source of shade on the practice field, a huge oak tree fondly referred to as Big Shady. The rest of the band was drifting over to the tower, where the director was sounding the warning sirens to get into sectionals and start warming up.

The brass players especially had furious looks of _What are they doing under OUR tree? _She smirked as the shadows from the gently waving branches flickered over her face. The line had started their season's extra practice by getting there an hour early, giving them free choice of shade.

_Maybe they should spend an extra five hours a week practicing._


	24. 24 Mist

_A/n- I don't know about anyone else, but it is the WEIRDEST feeling to walk down INTO mist._

* * *

24. Mist

The sun had not yet risen, but was just starting to lighten the sky. She groaned as she and her friends came to the field. It wasn't their usual practice field, but instead one of the numerous football fields close to the stadium. This one happened to be in a bowl-like indentation, and just like every other low spot this morning, was overflowing with a soupy _mist._

She grimaced. _I guess they weren't kidding when they were talking about Valley Fog. _She hung her uniform bag on the fence, and pulled her layers of sweatshirts tighter around her. Then she grabbed her cymbal bag, and plunged down into the moist air.


	25. 25 Lights

_A/n- I am one quarter the way there!! :D So, for this special occasion, one of my favorites..._

* * *

25. Light

They were quickly approaching the ramp, driven onward by the beat of the cadence. The stadium lights blared brightly, illuminating the thousands of faces in the audience. Without stopping, the 300 person block descended the ramp and poured onto the field, boogying down to the groovy cadence and rocking the vocals.

She looked up into the lights. This was why they did what they did; the crazy intense high that the lights brought while performing to an audience that was there solely for them. After the final lick, they snapped to attention. As the show started, adrenaline flooded her system, carrying her all over the field under the lights and thousands of high schoolers.


	26. 26 Illogical

_A/n- Feh. Admin in all of it's forms is evil. _

* * *

26. Illogical

"So, what do I need to do?" she asked. He handed her some paperwork with several things circled and highlighted.

"Fill out everything on that sheet, and then turn it in to the Administrations Office." Her eyes shone.

"And then I can sign up for all the music classes I need?" He hesitated.

"I would wait a few days before I tried. You may have to wait until the term actually starts." Her face fell.

"But if I turned in my paperwork, doesn't that make me entered into the computer system and—"

"You are attempting to be logical. Admin doesn't know what logical means."

"Oh," she said. "Thanks Dr. Darling."


	27. 27 Advantage

_A/n- I don't know if this is an advantage, she would take advantage of her position, or her section would take advantage of her. There seems to be an aweful lot of advantage running around here. :P_

* * *

27. Advantage

The instructor approached her while the rest of the battery was setting up.

"Maddie," he said, "I need you to take attendance." She looked at him. That was usually one of the section leaders' jobs. It was kind of a big deal; 3 absences and you instantly got a C.

"Matt needs to warm up his chops… and you're the only other one who is responsible enough. Please?" She nodded.

He turned back to the line, who were finally set up. "Maddie is going to be the one taking attendance." He nodded to her.

"If you have a class conflict, make sure to tell me," she told the rest of them. "Otherwise, you will be marked absent. Although," she said thoughtfully, "I probably wouldn't be opposed to bribery, depending on what was offered." This was met by catcalls; she smiled.


	28. 28 Cold Embrace

_A/n- I don't own Bogus Basin. Some insane ppl who live in Boise do. _

* * *

28. Cold Embrace

She tucked her feet around the person in front of her, and leaned forward in her tube so the person behind her could do the same. She felt warmer immediately, and stuck her arms out to clasp the people on either side of her.

"Are you all ready?" The man asked.

"How many of us are there?" Phil J wanted to know. The man counted.

"Forty-seven, eight more than our last record." A cheer went up, and band members began to crawl towards the edge of the slope. Suddenly, she felt the ground fall away from under her, as they flew down the snowy slope. They landed in a heap; David Heckman was trying to get off of her. He pulled her up, as the whole group started cheering. They were the new record holders for Bogus Basin.


	29. 29 Heartfelt Apology

_A/n- I really do love playing mallets... but the whole being in a pit deal just kinda rubs me the wrong way. :S Sorry if any of you are die-hard pitsters out there..._

* * *

29. Heartfelt Apology

She plucked at her "uniform", the shapeless garment that was more or less like polyester pajamas. She turned to the three other girls standing by the marimba in the shade with her.

"Sometimes I wonder why we're doing this, you know?" she asked them. Laura and Ashley nodded. Grace chimed in.

"All we ever do is push equipment around, and play our parts over and over while the battery figures their issues out." A voice behind them startled all four girls.

"That's because you girls are amazing. You're not thinking of quitting on me, are you?" Leonard looked at them. They instantly felt bad for talking like that around their instructor.

"We're sorry, Leonard, we really are. We love the music, and working with mallets," they assured him. "Sometimes it just feels like we're only partially here though..."


	30. 30 Patience

_A/n- This is my current life, in a hundred word drabble. I should just pitch a tent in a practice room... :P_

* * *

30. Patience

She threw herself down on the floor, nearly banging her foot on the long resonating bars. She turned on the metronome and propped it on the music spread out on her lap. Grasping the rubber-tipped sticks with dislike, she looked at the rhythms on the page.

_I WILL learn this,_ she thought furiously to herself. She turned the met down to 50, and slowly read through the music. She felt ridiculous, but it was the only way she could coax her slow muscles into learning the beats. Suddenly, she came to the end of the page. She hadn't messed up. _60 BPMs, here I come_, she thought.


	31. 31 Last Hope

_A/n- This will also be a series drabble..._

* * *

31. Last Hope

The phone woke her up with its vibrating signal of an incoming text message. She looked at the time; it was close to six thirty in the morning. She was leaving today, making the long drive back to college where her life would resume to its normal hectic state.

_I'm back!_

She stared at the message for a moment, letting the implications sink in. She had all but given up hope that he would be back before she left for band camp, stretching the time from when she saw him last even further. After weighing her options, she responded.

_So what are you doing today?_


End file.
